One arrested after Lincoln man paid scammers $98,000 in gold

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A 78-year-old Lincoln man gave scammers $98,000 in gold, police said Wednesday.

The man had received an email saying there was a $1,000 charge on his PayPal account, according to the Lincoln Police Department.

He called the number listed in the email to report the charge as fraudulent because he does not have a PayPal account.

Police said a scammer was on the end of the line.

While they were on the phone, the scammer refunded the man $100,000 instead of $1,000, telling him to return it in gold to avoid paying taxes.

The victim used a cashier’s check to buy more than $98,000 in gold at a local shop, LPD said.

A man in his 20s picked up the gold on Thursday, police said.

The victim was contacted again the next day and told to buy more gold.

The shop owner suspected that it was a scam and called police.

Investigators then worked with the victim to set up another pickup.

Police said 29-year-old Chiragkumar Padsala of California arrived and was arrested on suspicion of theft by unlawful taking.

Investigators think another scammer picked up the first gold payment.

The investigation is ongoing.